I had the honor of reciting my poem “SHE” at the Ladies Day Out “Spring is in the Air” Fundraiser/Fashion Show in celebration of women’s month this past weekend. The full video can be found on my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/fionnawrites.

Our children are the beauty of the future, they are receptacles of the love & knowledge we give them so we must remember to give it abundantly. There is great power in being equipped with a hearty education (worldly & formally) and bountiful love. Our children deserve this, as does the future of humanity.

I was blessed to have a chance to visit & spend time with my chubby wubby nephew after reading to the kiddos at Hope Academy and it filled my heart with hope and love. 💕

He came from little, was witness to the most heinous catastrophes. He always had to fight to survive, so his world was cold and cruel. The son of devoutly religious parents who weren’t afraid to use the name of God to justify their inflictions of pain. A nurturing, yet detached mother and a heavy-handed, laborer father. The couple who made sure they nearly lived in the church, only creating confusion in their children who were preached to about God and love but that lived a much harsher reality. This was a somber and consequential family with a deadpan demeanor.

She came from wealth, where silver platters were abundant, and there was always someone to do the dirty work. Household duties were the jobs of maids, not a wife. Alas, there was dysfunction brewing in the love she was taught. The truth remained, children learned most by what they saw, not what they were told. That’s been true since the beginning of time and will forever remain so. The daughter to a nurturing, yet detached mother and a fun, loving father whose whimsical disposition was too often lost at the bottom of his angry, violent whiskey bottle. Another devoutly religious family always searching for hope in the darkness. Nevertheless, there was no shortage of celebration and helping those in need. This was a compassionate, devoted family with a jovial demeanor.

Two broken people with steep love deficits, seeking someone to complete them and fill their voids without understanding the truth about love.

He built something out of nothing and was living a dream when it came to material things. All he needed was a wife and children to complete the vision of perfection he created in his mind.

She was drowning in hopelessness with her current over-bearing situation, feeling trapped by her roots and desperately needing an escape. All she needed was a knight in shining armor to rescue her and take her to ecstasy, the way she dreamed her life would be.

And just as the saying goes, “timing is everything.”

They crossed paths at a time that would later prove to be catastrophic. But, in that moment, they thought it was the timing of saving grace.

A misrepresentation, an impostor, lost in translation… literally and figuratively. A tragedy unfolding…in love.

May today mark the beginning of a beautiful journey, a flourishing year to come.

Love more, hate none. Smile often, you never know who will soar in it. Give unconditionally but don’t give because you feel obligated or you’ll become resentful. Only give what your heart feels unattached to.

As beautiful and alluring as people are, we are also flawed and scarred reflecting our pain and perceptions onto the world. And in doing so, we make this world a complicated place to live in.

There is such mystery in every eye I meet, every guarded soul I feel but we have learned that sharing our heart isn’t free. It costs someone’s time and requires an interested and listening ear, and that’s too expensive these days. People have neither the time nor the interest in those who have no benefit to him.

What about the woman who empties the airport trash? She works swiftly but quietly, trying to remain invisible as not to disrupt the waiting passengers. I’ll bet in her silence and solitude, she has soaked up a wealth of information from passerbys and from overhearing conversations of those who don’t even acknowledge her existence. Or maybe she’s so caught up in her own life and woes, that she just goes through the motions everyday gliding from trash can to trash can, emptying the days burdens, secrets, and discarded thoughts. She works long hours and goes unnoticed, but without her the airports would tell our filthy truths.

I wonder if she understands more than the busy businessman how lonely our world is, or if he understands just as well as she does when he cuddles with his money at night. Maybe he just puts up a front and isn’t as blind as he seems. Maybe he understands clearly the depths of loneliness that come with being invisible. He might understand that in his world, he is equated with a dollar sign. The quality of his life is directly related to how much money people think he has… Meaning, those in his circle who he pretends are his closest allies are only there to reap the benefits. And if one day he was stripped of all his wealth, he would be like the trash lady. Alone. Stuck picking up the filthy truths of his once “closest” peers.

Maybe that’s why he doesn’t acknowledge her existence. So many of us don’t acknowledge her. Maybe we are afraid to catch trash-picker-itis… If we look at her, we’ll have that life. Or maybe we’re worried that if we let her know we see her, she’ll unload her life’s problems onto us and look for handouts. What a burden that would be, a nuisance even!

Or maybe, just maybe, we will brighten her day and let her know she matters in this world. She may even feel inspired by it. And we all know what a little love & inspiration can do.

Smile freely. Those who need it most will always appreciate it more than you may ever know.

It was an honor for me to be interviewed by this freelancer-turned-independent blogger and writer, Evan Jackson. His blog “Young, Bold and Regal” highlights women with a purpose, mainly in the creative arts. Through this blog, we are heard and appreciated and recognized for our crafts, and for our story. Thank you Evan for your support, and for finding my work notable!

Everyone, please follow and support Evan’s blog and work, he is serving a purpose that is much needed in a world where women are generally objectified and only seen, not heard. The links to his blog and social media sites can be found right under the interview link! Thank you, enjoy!